9x12 fit Rollex roll film holder

Hi everybody,

I won the bid on a plate camera in great condition, the item arrived with a 9x12 fit Rollex roll film holder. After running the first roll of 2 1/4 film I noticed that the tension on the film hoder is pretty much nonexistent so the images do not look as good as they could.

Does anybody has any ideas to "refurbish" the unit....

Also, do they make film holders similar to a 4x5 fidelity for 9x12 film?

Thanks

Hugh

Hughjb said:

Hi everybody,

Also, do they make film holders similar to a 4x5 fidelity for 9x12 film?

Thanks

Hugh

Click to expand...

Yes, but as I think your camera stands now, they won't fit. You have a slide in system for the ground glass and the plates? If so, they take single sided metal plates in 9x12 cm size. What you need is an aftermarket springback that slides in that slot and converts your 9x12 into a 3.25x4.25 fidelity double sheet film holder. These were popular in the 50s for converting lots of German plate cameras to standard (for the time) inch based sizes.

If your plate camera has a spring back already, in Europe 9x12 and 4x5 holders have the same outer dimensions.

Pictures would help.

tim in san jose

Thanks Tim

I have 2 9x12 fit Rollex's (there was a url link here which no longer exists). They are very simple so not much you can refurbish.

Film (plate) holders are easy to find on Ebay just search fpr 9x12 that finds them, most are from Germany, but beware there are many different variations, which I've tried to start to list (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

9x12 film can be bought from Foma, (not the US link), in Norway who's a European distributor. I think Ilford films are available in 9x12 as well in Continental europe try Fotoimpex.de.

BTW I've found that even very rusty looking 9x12 plate holders can be restored very quickly with a good rub-down with wet an dry and a coat of satin black spray paint. You need to add a thin convertor to use film in the plate holders.

What camera have you bought ?

Ian

I have some similar Rollex holders for 6.5x9 plate cameras. I create some extra tension by wedging some folded cardboard (from the box the film came in) between the roll of film and the side of the film holder (on the spool side, not the take-up side). I've also done this successfully in Holgas and Dianas where film tension was non-existant.

Now your making sense there. One of my Rollex's had some velvet glued in it to do the same. I think you are supposed to wind the film on just prior to making the image so it's tense at that point. That's what they always recommended for 120 cameras with bellows opening the bellows pulls the film destroying it's potential flatness.

Ian

Thanks for the input, the camera is a Voightlander in very good condition and I do have two metal holder that seem to fit fine, I know a real good technical camera guy in tow so I'm going to take the film holder to see what he has to say, I will post my findings

Thanks

Hugh

I read somewhere that you can stick some foam in the right place to create some tension on the spool - I believe this is what some of the toy cameras use to provide tension (apart form not knowing what you'll get.... )

You can get 9x12cm film from a variety of places, including Retrophotographic in the UK, Fotoimpex in Europe, etc. It is a more common size in Germany.